The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the immediate removal of the nearly two-decade-old song Volume 1, associated with Yo Yo Honey Singh and Badshah, from all online platforms. The track, originally released around 2006–07 under their collaboration Mafia Mundeer, has come under judicial scrutiny over its lyrics.
Court calls lyrics 'grossly vulgar'
A bench led by Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav made strong observations while hearing a petition filed by Hindu Shakti Dal, reported Hindustan Times. "This is one of the rare cases where the conscience of the court is shocked to its absolute core," the court said.
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"It is one of those unfortunate instances where the court finds that the song is grossly vulgar, patently obscene, and derogatory towards women, artistic values, and social norms. The lyrics are not merely disrespectful or offensive but are ex facie calculated to normalise the treatment of women as objects of ridicule and sexual gratification," the bench observed.
The court further stated that such content cannot be shielded under free speech if it remains widely accessible online. "No civilised society can permit such content to remain freely available or be monetised… [Honey Singh] and [Badshah] and any other persons claiming rights in the impugned obscene song(s) are directed to immediately take down the URLs hosting such content from social media platforms or any other online locations," the order added.
The bench also noted that it had listened to the song in chambers and found its title too objectionable to be reproduced in the order.
Petition and arguments in court
In its plea, Hindu Shakti Dal said the song was repeatedly uploaded on YouTube under different accounts, gathering millions of views. The petition also claimed that both artists had earlier denied performing the track, but portions were sung during a concert in Delhi on March 14.
Advocate Rupali Panwar, appearing for the petitioner, was quoted as saying by HT, "This song has been sung by Honey Singh and Badshah, though they have been claiming that they have not sung the song. But at a very recent concert last year, Honey Singh sang two lines of the alleged song against which we are here today. That is why the High Court has issued notice to Honey Singh and Badshah."
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She added, "They should apologise because they have quite a lot of fan following. They are not setting the right example."
The court has issued notice to both singers and listed the matter for hearing on May 7. During proceedings, Google's counsel informed the court that the URLs identified in the petition had already been removed.
